National Resource Center for Tribes (NRC4Tribes)

A Service of the Children’s Bureau, A member of the T/TA Network

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MCWIC Regional Tribal Child Welfare Gathering

Innovations in Tribal Child Welfare Practice

Odawa Casino Resort

Petoskey, MI

May 4-6, 2010

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The National Resource Center for Tribes

About the NRC…Current Activities & Future Directions

The National Resource Center for Tribes (NRC4Tribes) has joined the Children’s

Bureau Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Network to provide and broker T/TA to support the enhancement of

Tribal child welfare systems. www.NRC4Tribes.org

National Resource Center for Tribes ~ Who We Are ~

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NRC4Tribes is a Partnership

As lead agency, the Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI) (www.tlpi.org), based in Los Angeles, with offices in Minneapolis , MN and Helena, MT, is a 100% Indian owned and operated non-profit corporation established in 1996 to design and develop education,

research, training, and technical assistance programs which promote the enhancement of justice in Indian country and the

health, well-being, and culture of Native peoples. TLPI’s organizational vision is to empower Native communities to create

and control their own institutions for the benefit/welfare of all community members now and for future generations. TLPI’s

mission is to enhance and strengthen tribal sovereignty and justice while honoring community values, protecting rights, and

promoting well-being. This vision now expands to encompass the work of the NRC4Tribes.

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NRC4Tribes Partners

The Indian Child and Family Resource Center (ICFRC), Helena, MT, is a Native non-profit agency guided by a board of directors who, like the partner agencies, have “been there” for

many years doing the work of Indian child welfare: tribal social workers, ICWA advocates and tribal leader. Established in 2004 to provide training and technical assistance resources for tribal child

welfare programs, ICFRC has worked closely for several years with the National T/TA Network of the Children’s Bureau to offer tribes throughout the country quality, no-cost technical assistance

and training opportunities.

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NRC4Tribes Partners

The Native American Training Institute (NATI), an inter-tribally controlled, tribally chartered, non-profit entity located in

Bismarck, ND, was originally established in 1995 to address the great need for local, culturally appropriate training and

professional development opportunities for ND tribal child welfare agencies, staff, and foster partners.  Since that time, the NATI has

expanded its services to include training, technical assistance curricula and other products to strengthen the capacity of

community members, practitioners and agencies to improve positive outcomes for Native American children, youth and

families in urban, tribal and first nation communities in the United States and Canada.

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NRC4Tribes PartnersEvaluation partner, the Butler Institute for Families (BIF) at the

University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, has a strong history of evaluation of federally funded initiatives. Butler’s evaluation team is

comprised of experienced researchers with expertise in sampling, design, instrumentation, data management and verification, qualitative and

quantitative data analysis, contextualization and interpretation of results, and reporting.

Since it’s founding in 1994, Butler’s mission has been to enhance the well being of children, youth and families through research, education, and

consultation. The Institute has grown to become a resource for building professionalism through training and technical assistance and discovering

effective practices and policies for child and family programs through evaluation and research The Butler Institute is committed to research that

produces pragmatic, practice-based information that can be used to improve interventions and help inform the field of

evidence-based practice.8

NRC4Tribes Partners ~ Establishing a Shared Vision

The NRC4Tribes Leadership Team - comprised of TLPI and its partner agencies - held a facilitated strategic planning

session to plan the five year implementation of the NRC4Tribes. As four separate entities, the agency staff felt the importance of developing a common vision, mission,

philosophy and guiding principles specifically for the NRC4Tribes.

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The NRC4Tribes Partnership

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The following vision, mission, and guiding principles were developed…

The vision of the National Resource Center for Tribes (NRC4Tribes) is to facilitate the empowerment of Native

Nations to nurture the safety, permanence and well-being of American Indian/Alaska Native children, families and communities by offering culturally relevant information, resources and technical assistance so that the dreams and

sacrifices of their ancestors are fulfilled and honored.

Vision

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Our mission is to collaborate with Native Nations and our training and technical assistance partners to

identify and effectively implement community, culturally based strategies and resources that

strengthen tribal child and family services.

Mission

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Children are sacred and entitled to be cherished in a safe and nurturing environment with strong family,

community and cultural connections. Their happiness and well-being includes nourishment of mind, body and

spirit in order to fulfill their dreams throughout their journey toward becoming a healthy Elder.

To honor the sacredness, the NRC4Tribes believes:

Philosophy

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(1) in the inherent sovereign right and ability of American Indian/Alaska Native Nations to create, control and improve their own local child and family service systems for the healthy functioning of tribal communities.

(2) empowerment and solutions come from within tribal communities as they build upon their inherent strengths as sovereign nations since they are the source of cultural knowledge through elders, leaders and culture-bearers.

(3) the environment of disparity and despair in Indian Country and Alaska Native communities is the result of ongoing impact of colonization and historical trauma.

(4) the responses to child and family needs must include culturally based solutions that honor and respect the voice and choice of families.

Philosophy

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Guiding Principles

The NRC4Tribes leadership team agreed to develop principles that would guide our work with the Tribal Nations as well as with their technical assistance partners, these principles are: 

• Compassion• Humility• Responsiveness• Respect• Integrity• Inclusion• Seamless and Effective Service Delivery

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System of Care Values

In addition to principles guiding the work, the NRC4Tribes Team agreed that the following system of care values are instrumental in the development and implementation of the work of the NRC4Tribes: 

• Least Restrictive• Culturally Competent• Community based Services• Accountable• Family and Youth Driven• Interagency Collaboration• Individualized and Strength-based

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The NRC4Tribes is part of a Cooperative Agreement with the

federal Children’s Bureau

• The NRC4Tribes is a five-year cooperative agreement between the Children’s Bureau and the Tribal Law and Policy Institute. It is not a grant.

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National Advisory Council

A National Advisory Council, comprised of tribal child welfare professionals, tribal leaders, and community stakeholders will review plans and activities of the NRC4Tribes and the larger T/TA Network, provide recommendations regarding the Networks approach to serving Title IV-B funded tribal child welfare systems and improving practices with American Indians and Alaska Native children and families.

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Invited Members NRC4Tribes National Advisory Council

• Abby Abinanti (Yurok), Dependency and Delinquency Judge, San Francisco Superior Court, Chief Judge, Yurok Tribal Court, California

• Denise Altvater (Passamaquoddy), Tribal Council, Passamaquoddy, Maine

• Ella Anagick (Inupiaq), General Practitioner, criminal defense, child custody and divorce, worked with Alaska Supreme Court on ICWA cases, Alaska

• Elsie Boudreau (Yupik), Victim Advocate, Alaska• Lucille Echohawk (Pawnee), Strategic Advisor, Casey Family Programs,

Colorado• Roman Duran (Pueblo of Tesuque and Hopi Tribe), President, National

American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA) and Associate Judge, Jicarilla Apache Nation, New Mexico

• Carrie Garrow (St. Regis Mohawk), Director, Center for Indigenous Law, Governance and Citizenship , Syracuse University College of Law and former Chief Judge, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Court , New York

• Barbara Jones (Eastern Cherokee), Program Manager, Eastern Cherokee Tribe, Tennessee

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NAC Members, continued

• Tracy King (Assiniboine), President, Fort Belknap Indian Community, Montana

• Dr. Art Martinez (Chumash), Clinical Psychologist, California• Mary McNevins (Muskogee Creek), Indian Child Welfare Manager/Tribal

Liaison, State of Oregon Department of Human Services, Children, Adult and Families, Oregon

• Renee Meyers (Three Affiliated Tribes), Social Worker, Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, North Dakota

• Rose-Margaret Orrantia (Yaqui), Tribal STAR, San Diego State University, California

• Cora Maxx Phillips (Navajo), Director Social Services, Navajo Nation, Arizona

• Ed Reina (Pima/Maricopa), Director Public Safety, Tohono O’Odham Nation, Chair, Native American Committee, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Arizona

• Pat Riggs (Isleta Del Sur Pueblo), Director, Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo (YDSP) Department of Economic Development and former Administrator/Judge, YDSP Tribal Court, Texas

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NAC Members, continued

• Sue Settles/Louise Reyes (Minnesota Chippewa), Bureau of Indian Affairs Department of Social Services, Washington, DC

• Dr. Delores Subia-Bigfoot (Caddo), Associate Professor of Research, Department of Pediatrics/Director, Project Making Medicine, OUHSC, Oklahama

• Evelyn Stevenson (Salish and Kootenai), Attorney, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, former President, Native American Rights Fund (NARF) Board of Directors, Montana

• Judge William Thorne (Pomo), Judge, Third Judicial District Court, Utah

• Virginia Thomas (Muskogee Creek), President, National Johnson O’Malley Association, Oklahoma

• Theresa Two Bulls (Oglala Sioux), President, Oglala Sioux Tribe, South Dakota

• Hope White Bear (Cheyenne River Sioux Nation), Wellness and Healthy Living Instructor, North Dakota

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The NRC for Tribes is part of the Children/s Bureau T/TA Network

• The T/TA Network is designed to:

• improve state and tribal child welfare systems

• support States, Territories, and Tribes in achieving sustainable, systemic change

• improve outcomes in the areas of safety, permanency, and well-being

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• NRC for (Child Welfare) Organizational Improvement

• NRC for Child Protective Services

• NRC for Permanency and Family Connections

• NRC for CW Data & Technology

• NRC for CW Legal & Judicial Issues

National Resource Centers

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• NRC for Adoption

• NRC for Youth Development

• NRC for In-Home Services

• NRC for Recruitment and Retention of Foster & Adoptive Parents

• NRC for Tribes

National Resource Centers

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• Possess topical expertise in assigned areas of child welfare

• Respond to T/TA requests from States, Tribes, and Territories

• Have knowledge and resources on effective and promising practices in their respective areas of focus

National Resource Centers

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A few facts about the NRC for Tribes …

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• A National Resource Center for Tribes has been under consideration by the Children’s Bureau for a number of years.

• The NRC for Tribes was established to expand the capacity of the Children’s Bureau T/TA Network to serve Tribal Communities

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• The new NRC was not established for the sole purpose of providing T/TA to tribes who are developing Title IV-E programs.

• The NRC4Tribes is available to all IV-B funded tribes to support improvements to their tribal child welfare programs.

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• The NRC for Tribes is a new National Resource Center specifically for Tribes, but is not intended to be the sole source of TA for Tribes.

• Tribes will continue to access training and technical assistance (T/TA) through various national resources centers and implementation centers within the Children’s Bureau national T/TA Network.

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As part of our proposed plans, the NRC4Tribes Current and Future Activities include working collaboratively with Tribes – and the CB T/TA Network - to:

1. Communicate and increase accessibility to training and technical assistance

2. Convene regional and national Tribal gatherings for the purpose of child welfare training

3. Support peer-to-peer networking across Tribal child welfare systems

4. Provide T/TA to coach, mentor, and support the successful implementation of Tribal technical assistance

5. Generate toolkits, resource manuals, and other products for dissemination

6. Participate in center-specific and national cross-site evaluation process

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7. Enhance Tribal access and utilization of the CB’s training and technical assistance from all NRCs and other T\TA providers in the T\TA Network

8. Assist in the provision of Training and Technical Assistance

9. Increase cultural competence and sensitivity to Tribal voices in the T\TA Network and in State child welfare systems

10. Conduct a national assessment of Tribal child welfare systems to better understand and appropriately serve Tribal communities

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Accessing NRC Services

Training and Technical Assistance through the Children’s Bureau T/TA Network is:

freeavailable on-sitecustomized

There is no “wrong door” for accessing T/TA - Tribes may request technical assistance from their federal regional office or they may go directly to any member of the T/TA Network.

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What Are Examples of Tribal T/TA?

The NRC4Tribes collaborates and coordinates within the T/TA Network to assure that Tribes receive appropriate technical assistance which strengthens child welfare systems

Within the T/TA Network, national resource centers house a wide variety of topical expertise. This expertise supports the development of tribal and state child welfare systems. Technical assistance for tribes can support the development of tribal child welfare systems infrastructure as a foundation for tribal Title IV-E programs.

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Examples of training and technical assistance that have been provided for Tribes through the T/TA Network include some of the following examples:

National Resource Center for Organizational Improvement

• Conducting Tribal child welfare program assessments to assist tribes in identifying strengths and challenges within their systems; recommendations for improving systems

• Assistance in developing tribal child welfare program policies and procedures

• Assistance in developing tribal case planning protocols

National Resource Center for Recruitment and Retention of Foster and Adoptive Parents at AdoptUsKids

• Assistance in developing Tribal foster recruitment and retention plans

• Assistance for States in working collaboratively with Tribes to develop improved State recruitment/retention plans focused on recruiting Native foster families

National Resource Center for Legal and Judicial Issues

• ICWA Training for State and Tribal audiences

• Qualified Expert Witness Training for State and Tribal Audiences

• Review of Tribal code on federal permanency planning and safety provisions

National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections

• Developing Family Group Decisionmaking as a permanency planning tool in Tribal communities

• ICWA Training for State Social Workers

• The use of visitation for permanency planning in Tribal child welfare systems

• Using family-centered practice in Tribal child welfare systems

National Resource Center for Child Protection

• Safety Planning curriculum for Tribal child welfare systems

National Resource Center for Adoption

• Customary adoption as a permanency option - training for State and Tribal audiences

National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Information Technology

• Assessments of Tribal data management systems and other technical assistance that support tribal child welfare data and technology

Other examples of T/TA that could be provided through the T/TA Network in order to support tribal child welfare systems development include the following:

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Pre-placement Services Programs

• Technical assistance or training may be provided to enhance the development of tribal programs designed to help children remain at home safely who are at risk of removal.

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Reunification Services Programs

• Technical assistance or training may be provided to enhance the development of tribal programs designed to help children in foster care return home safely. Developing a comprehensive reunification services program will also support a Tribe’s compliance with title IV-E requirements to make reasonable efforts to reunify families per section 471(a)(15)(B)(ii) of the Act.

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Other Permanency Services

• Technical assistance or training may be provided to enhance a tribal program designed to help children who cannot return home be placed for adoption, legal guardianship, customary adoption or other permanent placement. Developing a comprehensive permanency services program will also support an Indian Tribe’s compliance with title IV-E requirements to make reasonable efforts to achieve permanency, per sections 471(a)(15)(C), (E) and (F) of the Act.

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Preparing Foster Parents

• Training and technical assistance may be provided to enhance a tribal program in developing a recruitment and training plan for foster parents. The title IV-E agencies must certify that prospective foster parents are prepared adequately with the appropriate knowledge and skills to provide for the needs of the child prior to placement, and as necessary, after placement, per section 471(a)(24) of the Act.

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Safety

• In title IV-E, there are numerous provisions which require the agency to consider how children can be kept safe, including background check requirements for prospective foster and adoptive parents or guardians. Technical assistance and training may be provided to enhance tribal programs develop risk and safety assurances in compliance with Title IVE provisions.

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Interjurisdictional Placements and Cooperation

• Technical assistance and training may be provided to enhance understanding of the Interstate placement procedures, adoption placements and development of home studies.

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Coordination with Stakeholders

• Coordination with Stakeholders. Technical assistance and training may be provided to tribes that enhance Tribal consultation with State Title IV-B/IV-E agencies in compliance with federal regulations. This is particularly important around issues of Tribal service areas, transferring placement and care responsibility from State programs to Tribal IV-E programs.

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Judicial Activities

• Working with courts is an essential part of a title IV-E agency’s responsibility. The title IV-E program does not fund general court activities, but does require the title IV-E agency to obtain judicial determinations from the courts and oversight of title IV-E agency activities.

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• Training and technical assistance may be provided to tribal child welfare programs and tribal courts to expand understanding of judicial determinations required by Title IV-E – contrary to the welfare judicial determination, reasonable efforts to prevent removal, continuation of voluntary placement in child’s best interests, reasonable efforts to finalize permanency, documentation of judicial determinations related to title IVE eligibility.

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Case Planning and Permanency Decisions

• A number of title IV-B and IV-E plan requirements relate to ensuring procedures are in place to plan appropriately for a child’s experience in foster care and for a return home or to other permanent living arrangements.

• Technical assistance and Training may be provided to enhance development of tribal case planning systems, utilization of relative caregivers, periodic reviews, sibling contacts, school enrollment, permanency hearings, termination of parental rights.

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Data and Information Retention

• Title IV-E agencies are required to operate an information system from which can be readily determined the status, demographic characteristics, location, and goals for the placement of every child who is, or within the preceding 12 months was, in foster care.

• Technical assistance and training may be provided to tribal child welfare programs to enhance understanding and application of title IV-E required data systems.

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• There are certain types of T/TA that the National Resource Centers may not provide, since this expertise is the domain of the federal Children’s Bureau.

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Financial Procedures

• The title IV-E program has complex rules for determining which costs may be claimed under the program, and which match rates apply. Also title IV-E agencies must follow Office of Management and Budget rules for charging only necessary and reasonable costs to the title IV-E program, and allocating allowable costs relative to the benefits received (2 CFR 225).

Matching.

Financial Reports.

Cost Principles.

Audits

Rate Setting

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Adoption and Guardianship Assistance

• Technical assistance on adoption/guardianship assistance, eligibility, and subsidies and agreements is provided by Children’s Bureau staff.

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In response to questions regarding Title IVE Technical Assistance …

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Q: Can the NRC for Tribes provide TA that assists Tribes in maximizing IVE reimbursements?

A: No. Technical Assistance for the purpose of maximizing reimbursement of IVE Funds will be provided by the Children’s Bureau.

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Q: Can the NRC for Tribes provide T/TA to Tribes who intend to initiate negotiations with a State to establish a new IVE Contract or Agreement or to re-negotiate existing Contracts and/or Agreements?

A: No. Tribes must use resources other than the NRC for Tribes for these types of negotiations/activities. However, the NRC4Tribes may facilitate meetings that support tribal-state collaboration for the purpose of improving child welfare outcomes.

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Q: Can the NRC4Tribes assist in providing guidance on expenditures that are or could be IVE reimbursable?

A: No. That would be considered maximizing IVE funding and the NRC for Tribes cannot provide that service. The ACF Regional offices should be contacted for this technical assistance.

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Q: Can the NRC4Tribes provide technical assistance to write or review the grant application of who are interested in applying for the “one time” start up IV-E grants?

A: No. Tribes must use tribal resources to support these activities.

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Q: If the NRC4Tribes can’t provide certain technical assistance related to Title IV-E or federal child welfare financial assistance, where can Tribes obtain help if they have questions in those areas?

A: Tribes in this area should contact the federal regional staff in Region V or VII for further information and guidance.

Q: Can the T/TA Network (including NRC4Tribes) provide technical assistance to facilitate tribal-state relationships to improve the delivery of services for American Indian and Alaska Native children?

A: Yes. As previously described, the T/TA Network, including the NRC4Tribes, provides technical assistance to facilitate tribal-state collaboration in child welfare.

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Q & A

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Jerry GardnerExecutive Director, TLPI

and Interim Director, NRC4Tribesjerry@tlpi.org 323-650-5467

Kathy Deserly Interim Associate Director,

NRC4TribesKathy@NRC4Tribes.org

406-431-5941

For More Information: www.NRC4Tribes.org

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